Road inquiry rejected by Labor

The Andrews Government, with the help of the cross bench, has blocked an inquiry investigating the poor state of roads, particularly in rural and regional Victoria.

Nationals Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland, said the motion would look into road construction, repair, maintenance and road safety at a time when it was most needed.

“Road maintenance funding has decreased from $702.2 million to just $441.6 million in the last year alone, despite the dire state of Victoria’s regional road network,” Ms Cleeland said.

“Roads in regional Victoria are still in desperate need of attention. They needed fixing before the October floods and now the issue has only gotten worse.

“Cutting funding from something so necessary just goes to show how out of touch this Labor Government is with the needs of regional Victoria.”

Ms Cleeland said an Inquiry was needed to review the state of our roads and chart a way forward to improve road surface quality and lifespan.

“The road toll continues to rise, with far more deaths on our roads than previous years,” Ms Cleeland said.

“We should be doing what we can to help prevent this issue, and it starts with the quality and safety of our roads.

“We know safer roads, save lives, but instead of allowing the facts to be examined, Labor chose to shut down debate and block the establishment of an Inquiry into Victorian roads.”